Michael Ignatieff, Leader of Canadian Liberal Opposition, quoted in interview with Charles Kennedy, The House Magazine, 21/9/09

“In Canada we have a deep, entrenched sense that we are a federal union in which there is, and must be, substantial powers to the provinces and even powers are not symmetrical. The provinces are equal, but not all provinces are the same.”

“We maintain the territorial integrity and sovereignty of federal states, the unity of states – and then we work out devolutionary and decentralising agreements. That’s a Canadian message. We’re in no position to tell anybody what to do, but we do think that’s been a good thing for us and that it’s a good way to go for other countries….”

“I do think the 21st century model is this complex mixture of federal unions that bolt down the sovereignty of national integrity and then allow substantial self-government. I’m very interested in how we keep models like the UN and the IMF going, and how make them work better. What is at stake is no less than the future of global government.”